Sondra Speer

Strange, heartbreaking & DARK

Revisado: 10-13-21

While the cruelty of incest, sadomasochism, and greed are graphic, I can honestly say this is a novel where Ms Gregory has fully fleshed out and in-depth characters was so much better in creating characters you feel. I like her historical novels that try to give a perspective on the real life characters, they have always felt 2-D & flat. Her strength as an author is in creating true fiction.

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Plot???? - lazy, non-literary writing and character development

Revisado: 07-12-21

This book had so many sub-plots that never tied to each other. The language was mediocre and unnecessary characters lead to dead ends. None of the sister’s character arcs came near to any resolution; those characters were superfluous.
The author did not seem to put enough emphasis on addiction that was one of the thin connections to the plot. Alcohol is a drug and the gateway drug is trauma - threads through the book but never given the seriousness addiction brings: people die from the disease of addiction. The author spent more time on factoids of dolphins than on characters or explaining to the reader how to get help with addiction and codependency. She never was explicit about what getting clean means and working recovery.
Also, she should have not narrated her own book for audio. The “Southern” accent came and went and her narrators voice had no detection of understanding the linguistic pronunciation of said accent; she sounds mid-western. She read it so flatly when it was her own creation! If she couldn’t give life to the characters, how is a listener/reader supposed to?

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Annoying Narration!!! Really detracts from a great book

Revisado: 06-17-21

This book is wonderfully unique because there is an actual Greek chorus coming moose’s of the ghosts telling the story from Hades. Those altered voices are needed. It is such a great challenge to The misogyny and violence in “The Odyssey; her high child like regular voice is annoying and detracts from the powerful challenges the authors is taking head on in this book. I consider how “Circe” was narrated to this and it’s sad that an author of such renowned accolades that Margaret Atwood is so deserving of has to have it spoiled by bad narration. I will re-read the actual book to get a real experience of this books power at taking on the patriarchal views of Ancient Greece which changed the history of how the Western world would view the subjects Atwood challenges. She takes Penelope as the too perfect idealism of The Odyssey as gives her a real voice. This concept should have been wonderful with the use of special an actual erie voiced chorus and Atwood’s story telling.

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Incredible Book. Narration is terrible

Revisado: 06-16-21

I have read this book and it is an amazing story that exposes the problems with class in the late 19th, early 20th Century. The characters are almost 3-D and the dissection of the Issues of class in Britain during the generations of this wealthy non-aristocratic family and their rigid rejection of anything artistic or of free thought ends up tearing each character apart. It is profound and still resonates in the 21st century.
HOWEVER, the narration was terrible. A weak high pitched male voice who read as if he were reading account books was too much to keep listening to. He actually made me feel as if I was hearing a different book I had read. Read the book yourself.

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Don’t waste your time

Revisado: 05-30-21

Boring. Predictable plot and cliche 2D characters. Can’t anyone tell a story if historical fiction about Scotland with out vulgar, gratuitous sex? The antagonists are so generic with “yellow teeth” and “bulbous noses”. Try some Signe Pike for great characters, plots, story, and historical research.

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Not worth it

Revisado: 03-02-21

Weak, weaving, endless “plot”. The narrator is extremely annoying. When he does women’s voices it’s blatant parodying.

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Boring

Revisado: 12-10-20

The narrators voice grated on me. She was terrible at accents and had a high pitched American voice that screeched at times. I Kept falling asleep. Scanty historical references and two de mentions characters.

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Terrible

Revisado: 12-05-20

Terrible! Short and lacking detail. Wasted a credit. Feel I should get it back . Disappointed

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Horrible!

Revisado: 11-09-20

The story goes back and forth in what might be a plot if you want to stretch it. It could have been resolved or presented in a different manner rather than dragging the reader/listener in a Yo-to of boring fights and encounters with little death. Weak! All about sexual encounters& endless descriptions of clothing and food prep. Really disappointed by it.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

BAD version of meets Harry Potter with pornography

Revisado: 10-25-20

So ridiculous. Not. Historical fiction but fantasy filled with sex. Extremely disappointed. Waste of money

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